3/16/2013 |
Francisco trying to earn a spot with YankeesOutfielder Ben Francisco, who signed with New York because he thought he had a better chance of landing a job with the injury-depleted Yankees than he did with the Indians, finds himself battling for playing time again now that the Yankees have acquired Brennan Boesch.

3/16/2013 |
Bumgarner matches Cain with solid outingMadison Bumgarner's five innings in Saturday's loss to the Reds were the latest hint that Giants pitching can remain as dominant as it has for the past few seasons.

3/16/2013 |
Quiroz quickly forging bond with Giants pitchersGiants catcher Guillermo Quiroz has hit .206 over 103 appearances for five big league clubs, but his ability to quickly mesh with pitchers has kept him on the Major League radar for a long time.

3/16/2013 |
Pomeranz aims to start, looks for ways to improveA difficult fifth inning Saturday afternoon left Rockies left-hander Drew Pomeranz with the decision in a 5-2 loss to the Mariners and a 5.54 spring ERA. As the Cactus League heads into late March, rough numbers could lead to uncertain times for a guy competing for a rotation spot.

3/16/2013 |
Pacheco having super spring, versatile in fieldJordan Pacheco, who had a stellar season in 2012, is playing very well this spring. After Saturday's loss to the Mariners, his batting average is a gaudy .407. Now, it's up to manager Walt Weiss to find room for Pacheco on the roster.

3/16/2013 |
Blackmon sharp in return from knee infectionRockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon celebrated his first game since March 1 -- he was out with an infection in his right knee -- with two hard-hit doubles off Mariners' pitcher Erasmo Ramirez in the Rockies' 5-2 loss Saturday afternoon. Blackmon is trying to win a spot on Colorado's roster, but the outfield is already pretty crowded.

3/16/2013 |
Kershaw dominant as season opener nearsClayton Kershaw said he still has a few kinks to iron out in his final two Spring Training starts, but manager Don Mattingly said he'd take the current Kershaw on Opening Day, no questions asked.

3/16/2013 |
League presented with rough reception on birthdayBrandon League marked his 30th birthday on Saturday, but it wasn't a celebration. The Dodgers closer was pushed around for all four runs on four hits, two walks and a wild pitch in one-third of an inning in the Dodgers' 4-0 loss to Texas.

3/16/2013 |
Kennedy pulled from game with leg injuryIan Kennedy was struck by a line drive off the bat of Padres prospect Jedd Gyorko, and was diagnosed after the game with a contusion near his left knee.

3/16/2013 |
Touted Astros prospects impress in first MLB actionCarlos Correa, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft, didn't waste any time making a good impression on the Astros, stroking the first pitch he saw Saturday night into left field for an RBI single in his Grapefruit League debut.

3/16/2013 |
Astros have pitcher hit for first time this springFor the first time this spring, an Astros pitcher was in the batting order after the Nationals opted to have pitchers hit on Saturday. Astros manager Bo Porter originally had Jonathan Singleton in the lineup at designated hitter, but wound up having pitcher Lucas Harrell bat ninth.

3/16/2013 |
Championship baseball returns to AT&T ParkThe World Series has been played in AT&T Park in two of the last three seasons, and the World Baseball Classic will decide its championship in the park over the next few days.

3/16/2013 |
Versatile reliever Lindstrom fitting in with new clubThe White Sox signed reliever Matt Lindstrom in January to replace the role of departed free-agent right-hander Brett Myers. The Sox like Lindstrom's numbers -- a career-low 2.68 ERA last year in 46 combined appearances with Baltimore and Arizona and a 1.255 combined WHIP -- and profile as a ground-ball pitcher.

3/16/2013 |
Flowers remains out with lower back stiffnessWhite Sox catcher Tyler Flowers was scratched from Saturday's game against the A's at Camelback Ranch because of stiffness in his lower back that also kept him out of Friday's game against the Cubs.

3/16/2013 |
Terdoslavich showing Braves he can play outfieldJoey Terdoslavich's days as the future third baseman in Atlanta ended during his ugly two-month stint with Triple-A Gwinnett at the start of last season. But while spending the past couple weeks showing his offensive potential and ability to play both corner-outfield positions, Terdoslavich has positioned himself to get a call to the Major League level this year.

3/16/2013 |
Swihart makes the most of his opportunityFor most, it was an inconsequential late-inning Spring Training game move, one fairly typical for this time of year. For Blake Swihart, however, it was much more than that.

3/16/2013 |
Recovery from calf injury coming slowly for RossKirk Gibson and the D-backs hope that Cody Ross will be ready for Opening Day as he recovers from an injury sustained March 3, but the manager knows he has options if the outfielder starts on the disabled list.

3/16/2013 |
Hamels confident Doc will get on trackThe fact that Cole Hamels will be the Phillies' starter on Opening Night in Atlanta says a lot about how well he pitched in 2012. It also is a reminder that two-time Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay, who turns 36 in May, is coming off a down season.